It’s nearly unfathomable to think that it’s now going on 40 years since the movie Hoosiers had its theatrical release on November 14, 1986. Not that you asked, but I saw it for the first time less-than-a-week later in Indiana at a Fort Wayne cinema with Chris, my former Editor-in-Chief at The Eastern Echo (Eastern Michigan University’s student newspaper).
Chris was a Detroit kid who knew next-to-nothing about Indiana high school basketball, but even he marveled at a nearly full theater over Thanksgiving Weekend and moviegoers who were alternately applauding, cheering, and, in some cases, wiping away tears during the movie.
With the score tied at 40 in the waning moments of the State Championship Game, the Hickory Huskers spread the floor for Jimmy Chitwood to work his magic. He delivered, draining the jumper as the clock strikes zero to give tiny Hickory High School the Indiana State Championship over mighty South Bend Central. (Photo from Orion Pictures)
Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) was the the unquestioned best shooter on the team – in fact, we only see him miss three shots the entire movie (one in the school gym early in the film, one outside when Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) is speaking to him, and one early in the 1952 State Championship Game) – that he wasn’t the first choice to take the game-deciding shot against South Bend Central in that Championship Game is utterly ridiculous.
But then, Jimmy delivers one of his only four lines of dialogue all film long: “I’ll make it.”
And he did!
As an Indiana native Hoosiers holds a special place in my heart. That the film’s director, David Anspaugh, was high school buddy’s with my uncle Ken, makes it even more treasured. And, yes, if anyone out there can help get Anspaugh to join me on an episode of Conversations with Sports Fans your reward will be great.
Just like Jimmy nailing that final shot.
One Final Note: As I was doing a bit of research, I ran across this nugget if you’re interested in ringing in the 2026 slightly differently. Start Hoosiers at precisely 10:07.48 p.m. and the the New Year will begin with Jimmy splashing that winning shot.
The closing moment’s of the 1952 Indiana State Championship Game including Jimmy’s game-winning basket.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
OK cinephiles, this one’s for you! There have been three Best Picture Academy Award Winning films with sports as the main theme. Those three films’ original theatrical posters appear, in part, above. What three sports movies have won the Best Picture Oscar?
Sports, athletes, and their stories have long been fertile ground for Hollywood stories.
Yet in the 96-year history of the Academy Awards only three feature length films have earned the Best Picture Oscar: Rocky (1976), Chariots of Fire (1981), and Million Dollar Baby (2004).
The movie posters from Rocky, Million Dollar Baby, and Chariots of Fire.
Interestingly enough, two of the three films focus on boxing. Rocky, of course, is the famous Sylvester Stallone project that he wrote and starred in. It received solid reviews when released and wound up being the lead in a series that, if the Creed films are considered part of the lineage, still going strong nearly 50 years later. Million Dollar Baby is the project of another Hollywood heavyweight (get it;-), Clint Eastwood. Based on the a collection of F.X. Toole entitled Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner, Eastwood went on to direct, co-star, produce, and score the film that stars Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman. Like Rocky, it was also well received by critics.
Chariots of Fire is the film about two British track athletes running in the 1924 Olympics and intertwines timeless themes such as religion, prejudice, and athletics.
Have other sports-themed films been more popular among cinephiles, certainly, but this trio has resonated with critics and fans (and Academy voters!) alike.
E60’s promotional poster for the documentary, “Southpaw.”
I awoke this morning knowing exactly what I planned to write about.
In desperate need of clearing the decks of Event No. 21 from the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project, I was determined to write about my experience at the 120th Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks, AK, from back in June.
As its backdrop, the documentary focuses on Saturday afternoon, September 4, 1993, in the Bronx when Abbott – who, for the unfamiliar, was born without a right hand – pitched a no-hitter for the New York Yankees against the then-Cleveland Indians.
The overarching storyline, however, is about Jim Abbott‘s life and the impact he had on others … oh, so many others.
Suddenly I was engrossed in the story of which – hailing from the State of Michigan – I had more than passing familiarity. Heck, I had even met Jim when we were both freshmen in college. He at the University of Michigan and I across Washtenaw County at Eastern Michigan University. One of his Flint Central buddies known to most of us only as Kramer, lived down the hall from me in Phelps Hall. Jim paid Kramer a visit the night of March 21, 1986. I remember the date because we were in Kramer’s room watching the beginning of the Michigan State-Kansas men’s basketball regional semifinal that MSU ultimately lost in overtime due, in part, to a clock malfunction.
What I was unaware of, however, was the volume of communications Abbott received from the families of boys and girls – like him – who were disabled and how, in many ways, he became an almost reverential figure for those children and their parents about what was possible.
That extra burden he carried must have been significant, but to most on the outside world it didn’t show and, as he matured, he grew to understand it came with the territory of being one of the disabled world’s highest profile members.
The film also serves as a reminder to all of us that someone is always watching and we all have the opportunity to inspire, influence, and encourage others with our words and actions. If you ever needed a reminder of this, the film’s final 10-minutes drives this point home emphatically.
To say it was 90 minutes well spent would be an understatement and a disservice to Jim Abbott’s life (and the E60 production team). I encourage you to grab a handful of tissues and enjoy all the emotions.
The farmhouse at the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville, IA.
I know what you might be thinking:
Doug, this is supposed to be Around the World in 80 Sporting Events. How does the location of a film rise to the level of an event. Or even an iconic venue?
It’s a fair question and one that I wrestled with more than a little bit when building out the 80-ish events/venues. But, in the end it’s my project, my list, right?
That said, my decision seemed vindicated after recently visiting the Dyersville, IA, farm that served as a primary filming location for the 1989 baseball movie, “Field of Dreams.” While spending about an hour on site, my dad and I encountered folks from all corners of the United States, including a couple from southern California that had a family wedding in the Kansas City area and the husband was insistent that this diversion north must occur.
Um, that’s a 6-hour detour, my friend!
He was resolute, however and neither he nor his wife seemed the least bit put out by driving hours through rural America to wander around a baseball field for an hour or so.
But that seems to be the draw of this place. Karin Kinsella and Terence Mann were both spot on with their assessments of Ray Kinsella‘s absurd decision to plow under half his crop and build a baseball field in the middle of nowhere.
Karin and Terence tell Ray why he shouldn’t sell the farm. (Bonus: Archie “Doc” Graham saves Karin.)
People will – and do– come. (Seriously, check out the “Field of Dreams” live web cam here. If sun’s up in Iowa and there’s no rain, you’re bound to see folks on the field.)
There is no charge to visit the site. It’s all a freewill donation and, yes, I handed over $20 without giving it a thought, for it’s money I had and moments I sought.
Those moments were to spend time with my father at one of the more special places for fathers and sons in filmography history and if the weather permitted and we could sneak in a catch, well, all the better.
Without spoiling too much, Ray’s character (played by Kevin Costner) begins hearing a voice and having a vision of building a baseball field on his family farm. Ultimately, the voice’s messages of “if you build it, he will come,” “ease his pain,” and “go the distance” are all designed to reconnect Ray with his long-deceased father whom he had a fractured relationship.
When the inevitable occurs as the sun sets over the Iowa cornfields and Ray asks his dad if he wants to have a catch, well, pass the tissues for most fellas I know who’ve watched the film … or read the book “Shoeless Joe” by W.P. Kinsella.
Admittedly, my dad is not as fluent in “Field of Dreams” as I am, but he had a pair of homework assignments prior to this stop on the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project: Refamiliarize himself with the movie and get his arm in good enough shape to toss the horsehide around for a few minutes.
To me, this is one of those films that, if I see its airing on the on-screen guide, I’m stopping by and staying for a while (probably for the duration).
Clockwise from upper left, the author visited with his family (son Jake, wife Carol, and daughter Helena) in 2018; the view of the field from the farmhouse; behind the backstop; Terence Mann’s monologue about baseball; the author and his father, Jerry, enjoying a catch in rightfield; the view from the pitcher’s mound; the view from homeplate; the corn was still working on its height during our visit; the welcome sign; construction is ongoing for a more permanent professional field.
It was a steamy mid-June Tuesday on the day of our visit and while my family and I had stopped by seven years earlier, I was excited to return and see what’s changed and, more importantly perhaps, what’s stayed the same from 1988 when principle shooting occurred. And, yes, I had the same feeling turning off the road onto the long gravel driveway leading to the farm that most viewers probably have when they see the twinkling lights on that aerial shot at the films end.
My son’s friend, when they were younger, used to call that feeling “getting the goosies.”
The house with the white picket fence … check!
The red barns … check!
The ballfield with its ramshackle bleachers and light posts … check!
The corn field … check!
Aside from the corn approaching just knee high and not the fully grown stalks the ghost players disappear into on film, it was as most would remember it.
There were differences from when I first visited: The smaller of the two barns is now a merchandise shop filled with the Baseballism product line; there is now a restaurant (The Dugout) in part of the larger barn, a seasonal ice cream stand between the two barns, and a concession stand counter (The Stretch) and pavilion with picnic tables down the leftfield line. There is still the opportunity to tour the farmhouse ($20 per adult, of course;-) but we opted against it as I’d completed it during my previous visit. New, however, is the ability to spend the night in the house. For a mere $600 (weeknights) you’re able to rent a room for the night (find the details here).
In the distance, well beyond the lights in left field, construction continued on what is to become a more permanent field where Major League Baseball hosted a pair of games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The goal, per Dyersville Events Inc. President and CEO Keith Rahe which purchased the land from Go the Distance Baseball in September 2024 for $27 million, “is that professional baseball is back there. Honestly because we know how important and how significant those games were.”
That aside it was, as Ray Kinsella says during film, “perfect.”
My father and I did enjoy a catch and our newfound friends from southern California even recorded our poor form for posterity. This means I’ve now had a catch with my father and my son (2018) at the “Field of Dreams” diamond. (I’m not saying I want to be viewed rather than seen anytime soon, but this gives me comfort in having accomplished this.)
Doug and Jerry brought their gloves and took time to have a catch.
After our time doing what fathers and sons have done for generations in this country, we did something else that fathers and sons do. We visited the ice cream stand, purchased a couple dishes, and made our way to the shaded comfort of the picnic tables where we enjoyed a treat on a hot summer day while the voices of others playing catch and soaking in the sights of this slice of Americana echoed in the distance.
A full five years before Dwight Clark made “The Catch” there was this notable grab from an unexpected hero.
OK, OK, so it wasn’t a real competition catch, but Timmy Lupus‘ home run stealing nab in the top of the sixth inning against the hated Yankees in the 1976’s “The Bad News Bears” set up one of the most phenomenal fictious finishes in baseball film history. We can only hope for a similar wild ride when this year’s Little League Baseball World Series wraps up in South Williamsport, PA.
Timmy Lupus’ trading card captured his astonished look after making the catch.
Here’s the clip of Lupus making his improbably catch.
The Bears’ epic response to being league runners up.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
Probably the most one-sided boxing match ever filmed.
Eagle-eyed observers might have been able to spot the over-sized gloves and the pasty-white flesh tones of Paul Newman, from 1967’s prison drama, Cool Hand Luke.
Newman was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar and co-star George Kennedy (Newman’s opponent in the boxing match) won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Luke remains sturdy on his feet during in this image. It was not the case as the fight wore on.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
There’s a dozen of you that, if you don’t get it immediately, Chrysler – er Stellantis – plant here you come.
The NHL playoffs have begun, so why not mine the cult classic among hockey fans, Slap Shot, for another Fan Teaser? (The film was used as inspiration for the Week 8 Fan Teaser.)
Those eagle-eyed fans will recognize jersey number seven as that of Paul Newman‘s character, Charlestown Chiefs’ player/coach Reggie Dunlop.
Released in 1977 the language was considered so vulgar it had an extra tagline under its R rating “Certain language may be too strong for children.” (We here at the Fan Teaser offer that same warning should you choose to view any of the assembled clips that follow.) It was the film that that presented the world with the Hanson Brothers, Ogie Oglethorpe, Dave “Killer” Kowalski, and Dickie Dunn to name a few.
As a college hockey writer during the mid-1990s, fellow media members and I would often recite lines from the film throughout games. Among the favorites to pull out occurred frequently during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner.
Paul Newman’s character was player/coach Reggie Dunlop in 1977’s Slap Shot.(Photo: Universal Pictures)
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you by the early kickoff on Sunday.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you by the early kickoff on Sunday.
“Don’t you EVER play ‘Lady of Spain’ again!”
If you’re a sports fan of a certain age, the raucous – and raunchy – 1977 Paul Newman comedy, Slap Shot, is one of those movies you know by heart. (I know it was for me, as a sports writer at the Ann Arbor News covering Michigan hockey games, several of us in the press box would recite lines throughout games.)
And if, like me, this movie is one of those you know by heart, you no doubt recognized the hockey helmet in this week’s Fan Teaser as that of the organist (who took to wearing the helmet due to a very errant slapshot). The organist was played by Rod Masters and, it turns out he’s really an organist and worked games for the then-expansion Seattle Kraken last season at the team’s Climate Pledge Arena.
The scene that made Masters sorta, kind of famous, is the one in which Newman’s Reg Dunlop makes his way to the organist booth and famously rips up the sheet music to “Lady of Spain” while admonishing the organist (see below). Alas, Masters had no spoken lines in the film, was uncredited, and did not qualify for any royalties.
As we were looking up all things Slap Shot organist-related, we stumbled upon the fun fact that the Kraken hired Masters to serve as their initial organist last season. Read about his journey to Climate Pledge here. And check out his debut performance at this link.
